Our Thursday

Ryan was kind enough to sleep in a little bit this morning so I got to sleep in til 8:30. He's been sleeping a little later this week and I have been so thankful. I am really blessed he sleeps so well and usually sleeps til 7:30-8ish am. I know this means that my next child will be totally opposite and be an early riser, ha! He's been going to bed around the same time so I'm thinking it's a growth spurt. Since he slept later he didn't take a morning nap but he was still good.

I went to the gym today to get a pedicure. Our gym has a spa so you can get a haircut, massage, manicure or pedicure. It's so nice and convenient. I love out gym, it's so great. I put Ryan in the nursery and was able to enjoy a relaxing pedi. My first one of the season. They love Ryan in the nursery and always tell me how good he is and that he's so happy all the time. We came home this afternoon and Ryan took a long nap. It's been so hot lately I think it just wears him (and me) out. Maybe that's why he's been sleeping more.

I totally can't get enough of Ryan's little chatters. He has been "talking" so much this week. I just know he will be saying "real" words very soon. We are looking forward to a long fun holiday weekend! Matt has monday and tuesday off so we can't wait to spend lots of time with him.

(I'm working on the quality of my pictures so I apologize for the fuzziness of these pics, I'm working on it.)

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

So I promised you the amazing spaghetti sauce I made last night so here it is!

Marti's Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Ingredients: 1 28oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 12oz can tomato sauce

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 med onion finely chopped

2 carrots finely chopped (this sweetens sauce without adding sugar)(optional mushrooms) 1 cup finely chopped

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

2 tsp garlic powder

1 T oregano

(recipe can be doubled and freeze in large gallon freezer bag) Can be used as sauce for lasagna as well.

Directions: In large cooking pot cover bottom with thin layer of olive oil (med to high heat)

Saute onion, carrots and mushrooms until onions are translucent

Stir in tomato paste - this brings out flavors in the tomato paste. Set aside.

In a seperate pan saute meat with a small amount of olive oil.

Drain excess fat and add to veg mixture.

Add all remaining ingredients. Let simmer on low at least 30 min.

Serve over pasta of your choice. Enjoy!

I froze half of the sauce last night. I can't wait to have it again. Let me know if you decide to make it. Had to add the last pic of Ryan for the grandparents. We had a fun day of errands and naps. So what's your favorite homemade recipe?

Dog days of summer

We started out our morning by taking Gracie to the vet. She was due for her yearly exam and vaccinations. Let me tell you...taking a dog and baby to the vet is no easy task. I used to take Annabelle and Gracie at the same time but not anymore. I can only handle one at a time. Gracie did great and enjoyed all the attention. They thought Ryan was quit cute and handsome as well!

By the time I got home I put Ryan down for his morning nap I got a call from the vet telling me Annabelle was overdue for her vaccination and I needed to bring her in. They were able to work us in this afternoon so we headed back after Ryan's afternoon nap. I ran during Ryan's nap. When I got done he must of just woke up because I heard him just chattering away over the monitor. It cracked me up.

This boy is climbing and into EVERYTHING. I was making dinner tonight and it looked like a tornado hit our house by the time Matt got home. I should have taken a picture. The dog boxes were flipped over and moved out of place, the contents of the diaper bag where on the kitchen floor and there were multiple toys all over the floor. All the joys of having a TODDLER. In just a few weeks he will be a TODDLER, so hard to believe.

I must tell you about the dinner I made tonight. I love to bake but I do NOT like to cook. Tonight I decided to make tomato with meat sauce to put over spaghetti. I got the recipe from our mentor mom at MOPS. Oh my goodness! It was SO yummy! I was surprised it came out so well! Matt absolutely loved it! He said it was the best thing i've ever made (minus sweets). Can't wait to share the recipe with you tomorrow. Oh and Ryan ate so many slices of peaches tonight I lost count. That boy went to bed STUFFED, ha! I just love it when he eats well.

Little Chatter Box

Today Ryan has been a little chatter box...and I absolutely can't get enough of it. I love hearing his little voice. I can't wait til he says momma. It will be music to my ears!

We had a great day. I had a great workout at the gym then we came home for a morning nap. After nap time we headed to the grocery store. I usually do my grocery shopping on sunday without Ryan but he was so good today I think I might make Monday my new grocery day. Plus it was less crowded which is always a plus.

This afternoon I blew up Ryan's new baby pool. It was very warm today so I thought we would try it out. I put Ryan's suit on and we headed out. I sat him down in the water and immediately he started crying and totally hated it. I think it was the cold water. I hope this doesn't last and that he will love his pool soon. I can't wait to take him to the big pool at the gym!

Our Weekend

Our weekend started off on Friday with a lunch/playdate at Elizabeth and Anissa's house. We had a great time and the babies loved playing together. It's fun to actually see them playing together now. Most of the time they are stepping or crawling over each other, ha! This "door/playhouse" toy was as huge hit with Ryan. I couldn't get him away from it.

He loved climbing the stairs. We have stairs at home but we have baby gates blocking him from getting to them. Thank goodness! After just a few minutes he quickly got the hang of them.

Saturday morning we went to swim lessons then Red Robin for lunch. Ryan had his first kids meal at Red Robin. I ordered him a grilled cheese and mandarin oranges. He didn't eat many oranges but he devoured half the grilled cheese. He is becoming a really good eater. He loved eating peaches today!

Today we went to church then came home for lunch. While Ryan took a long afternoon nap I worked on his birthday party invites and other birthday details. I am so excited about his birthday party and I'm loving planning it all. We are looking forward to a great week. It's supposed to be very warm so we might even break out the kiddie pool.

Loveland - the Sweetheart of Ohio

Today on Show Us Your Life we are telling about where you live and what your hometown is like. Now I was born and raised in Memphis, TN and it will always be home for me. I am a southern Tennessee girl at heart but I do love where I currently live. I live in Loveland - the sweetheart of Ohio.

Loveland is a community in the heart of the northern suburbs of Cincinnati.

This is our historic downtown. We have fun restaurants, a scenic bike trail, historic downtown and wonderful parks. Loveland has a bike trail (see below) that spreads over 70 fat paved miles through the Little Miami Scenic State Park. Loveland is a charming small town to live and raise a family!

I technically call Loveland home but when people ask where I live I usually saw Cincinnati, OH. Cincinnati is a big city with a small town feel. Cincinnati sits on the southwest corner of Ohio and borders Kentucky and Indiana. Cincinnati is home to many headquarters of famous businesses: Proctor & Gamble, Kroger, Federated Department Stores, GE Aircraft Engines and American Financial Group.

Many people enjoy spending their lunch time on Fountain Square talking to each other and watching the world go by. Downtown has lots of character!

Great American Ball Park is home to the Cincinnati Reds, baseball's first professional franchise. Every Cincinnatian loves the Reds.

I really enjoy Loveland and Cincinnati. You should come and visit!

Oh what a day!

Well today started off alot different than I had planned. Last night Ryan was fussy, running a fever and pulling on his ears. So after he woke up crying (very abnormal for him) at 7AM I called the doctor and schedule an appointment to get his ears looked at. We headed in to the doctor and sure enough he has a right ear infection. It's the same ear as just a month ago. I don't think he completely got over the last infection. Hopefully this time we can nip it in the bud.

In all honesty he slept great last night and was eating well like normal. This morning he was crabby until he got some food in his belly. Bless his heart! As you can see he did have a little smile while at the doctor. I hope this is the last infection for a LONG time. I hate seeing my baby sick. Makes me so sad seeing him in pain.

Ryan thinks he won the jackpot hahaha!!! Of course he picks up my wallet from the diaper bag over all his toys and other stuff in there. It turned out to be a good day and we even grabbed some lunch out while picking up his prescription. He's the best lunch date a girl can ask for!

These are a few of my favorite things!

I have a ton of friends who have either just had babies or are expecting little babies in the near future. I thought I would do a post about some of my favorite things for Ryan right now. I just got some of these bibs last week and I love them. They are so easy to clean and wipe off. I love the little catch all at the bottom of the bib. It's comfortable and compact to go in the diaper bag.

I got these cute little take along snack cups at my baby shower last year. I love them and use them every day! I put Ryan's little snacks in them including cheerios, goldfish, and yogurt melts and toss them in his diaper bag. I even keep some on the kitchen table for easy access while feeding Ryan. They are cheap, dishwasher safe and oh so convenient.

This last product has been a life saver! My friend Leah told me about when I was pregnant so I was sure to register for them. It's called an Ultimate Crib Sheet. The sheet lays over the top of the fitted sheet on the crib mattress and snaps around the rails of the crib to stay secure. It's even waterproof. The idea is if you child spits up, wets or dirties the bed you only need to change the top ultimate crib sheet. No wrestling with the mattress and that fitted sheet. This might sound gross or weird but I have never changed Ryan's fitted sheet on his matress. I have of course changed his top ultimate crib sheet. He's never wet or dirtied through his diaper onto his bed. Our biggest issue was spit up. I love this crib sheet and will continue to use it until Ryan is out of his crib. Highly recommend it!

We had a low key day today. We finally got some spring flowers to go in the pots on our porch. Now I just need to find the time to plant them. Tonight Matt was playing with Ryan and we noticed Ryan was pretty warm. He was acting whinny and tired. He also didn't like his ears being touched...yup the tell tell sign of an ear infection. Again??? Oh I hope this isn't becoming a trend. I took his temp and it was 101. So it looks like our plans for tomorrow have changed and I will be calling the doctor in the morning. Poor little baby boy!

Playdate

Our friends Anissa and Elizabeth came over today for lunch and a playdate. It was great to chat with another adult and the babies loved playing together.

Ryan acted a little surprised at first to see Elizabeth in his house (this was their first visit to our house). Between two busy babies and two curious doggies we had our hands full, ha! It was alot of fun and a great time of fellowship.

We had Panera soup and grilled cheese for lunch. And I made these yummy red velvet cupcakes for dessert. I always think homemade cakes/cupcakes taste so much better than store bought. The problem is I'm left with 24 cupcakes to eat, ha! Ok, make that about 6 because Matt has already eaten more than a few tonight.

Weekend Leftovers

Friday night we went to dinner with Uncle Steve, Aunt Teresa, Aunt BB (Brenda), James, Erin and baby Cooper. Cooper is Erin's 3 month old little boy and he is adorable. It's hard to believe Ryan was that small not too long ago. Ryan was totally taken by him. I was holding him and Ryan just wanted to touch him and figure out what this thing was in my lap. It was so cute.

Already trying to buddy up with Cooper, ha! They look like they are talk to each other here. Ryan couldn't keep his hands off him!

This is how I found Ryan during his morning nap on Saturday. Hilarious! Didn't even bother him one bit. He usually loves to sleep with his little bootie up in the air, ha! So cute!

Today was another rainy day so we chilled at home after the gym this morning. It finally stopped raining this afternoon so we took a stroll around the neighborhood. Ryan tried grapes today for the first time and he really liked them. I cut them in half and it just takes more time for him to chew them up. He had absolutely no interest in the sippy cup today. We will try the straw sippy tomorrow. I can't believe we will be off formula in a month!

Eleven Months

Ryan - You are ELEVEN Months old!!!

What have you been up to these days???

• You weigh 22 lbs
• You wear size 12-18 month clothes, size 4 shoe and size 3 diapers
• You eat about half table food half baby food. You are eating new foods all the time. Today you had hamburger meat and grilled cheese for the first time and you loved it.
• You are constantly smiling and laughing.

• You are still sleeping 12-13 hours at night. You take a short morning nap and a good 2 hour nap in the afternoon. You are such a good sleeper.
• You are EVERYWHERE!!! You spend all day crawling, standing, getting into everything and exploring. You are one BUSY boy.
• You have 6 teeth, 2 on bottom and 4 on top. We suspect you will be getting your "one year" molars soon.
• You love to talk and babble all the time. Your favorite thing to say is "dad-da". You tried to say Gracie last week but it sounded more like "a-ce".

• You can clap your hands and wave bye bye now.
• You love attention and love to people watch. Whenever we are somewhere you love to look at people and turn on your charm.
• You LOVE to play peek-a-boo and just laugh.
• You love your swim lessons. Not sure how much you are really "learning" but you sure do love playing in the water. You do great going under water and you act fearless in the water.

I CANNOT believe you will be a year old in a month!

I can't believe how much you have grown and changed over the past year. You have brought so much joy to my life and I love you so very much. It's amazing to think about who will become in the next few years. No matter what I will always be so proud of you!